Dogs that look like tampons and sloths on cocaine: this author is speaking my language!!! -- All done! Readers who liked Jenny Lawson's books and/or theDogs that look like tampons and sloths on cocaine: this author is speaking my language!!! -- All done! Readers who liked Jenny Lawson's books and/or the Shopaholic series will likely love this. It's also a therapeutic read if you feel like you're failing in any aspect of your life; I think the main character (and the other moms in the Motherhood Better bootcamp) serve to show readers that everyone feels like that to a certain extent, and it's okay not to be perfect.
I didn't care for the rigidity of the gender roles in the book. I know the author was writing from her own experience, which is still the experience of many women in our country - but it would have been nice if there was a stay-at-home dad in the mix, just to show that there can be more equality in parenting roles.
I also noticed that most of the humor was frontloaded in the book which meant more blase writing in the second half. It was like the author ran out of steam after a while. I was also hoping that Emily Walker would totally lose her shit at the Napa getaway - like she would reveal herself to be as imperfect as Ashley. She did have a couple small moments of messiness, but I thought the author missed some real comedic moments by not giving her a complete meltdown.
Overall, though, this was a light, entertaining read that was perfect for summer. :)...more
This is my second reading of this book. I just needed something fun and fluffy after reading two huge books on serial killers. :P Don't get me wrong,This is my second reading of this book. I just needed something fun and fluffy after reading two huge books on serial killers. :P Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of problems with this book - namely, how everything works out for Becky in the end with little to no effort on her part. I like that she was able to save herself - she didn't have to rely on a man's power or money - but the outcome was totally unrealistic and didn't involve any hard work. There are also a lot of stereotypes about women - Becky is a walking stereotype with her obsessions with shopping and appearance. She's still likeable and funny, though, and she stands up for herself when it matters. I think that's why I like this book, even though it's clearly flawed....more
Probably one of the best "cheer you up" books that I've read. This is great reading for when you're sick or depressed. I want to see the movie, butProbably one of the best "cheer you up" books that I've read. This is great reading for when you're sick or depressed. I want to see the movie, but I'm afraid it won't live up to the book. Trying to decide if I should read the next one right away, or save it for when I'm sick or having a bad day.
Thanks to my buddy Adrienne for recommending this!! <3...more
Fun to listen to in the car. Predictable, but not quite as predictable as I thought it would be. Katherine Kellgren read this one, which was a plus -Fun to listen to in the car. Predictable, but not quite as predictable as I thought it would be. Katherine Kellgren read this one, which was a plus - she continues to be one of my favorite audiobook readers....more
Becky and Luke have just returned from their around-the-globe honeymoon, wherein Becky bought an absurd amount of crap (2 dining room tables! 20Becky and Luke have just returned from their around-the-globe honeymoon, wherein Becky bought an absurd amount of crap (2 dining room tables! 20 Chinese dressing gowns!). When they get back to England, Becky's biggest problem isn't where to put all her purchases, though (although this is a problem) - it's the fact that her parents are acting really weird upon their homecoming. Becky comes to find out that their odd behavior is due to the recent discovery that her dad fathered another child - Becky's half sister. Big-hearted gal that she is, Becky welcomes her new relative with open arms. She can't wait for shopping dates and girls' nights, but her sister, Jess, has different ideas. A no-nonsense geologist, Jess likes nothing more than pinching pennies - in other words, she's the anti-Becky. Delusionally optimistic about their relationship, Becky refuses to see the truth until their differences finally result in an explosive conflict. Now she has to figure out if she can - or even wants to - patch things up with Jess. To make matters worse, her relationship with her best friend is on the rocks, and she's in hot water with Luke due to some careless honeymoon purchases. Feeling completely alone, Becky resorts to desperate measures. But even though she makes some pretty stupid choices, all of her life's wrinkles get smoothed out in the end.
This book definitely smacks of "poor little rich girl," and Luke is a sexist, patronizing a-hole. And Becky clearly has a compulsive disorder with regard to shopping. AND she's kind of generally a brainless idiot. But go figure - I still like these books. I particularly liked the narrator for this one, although I find it strange that the unabridged versions of the Shopaholic books all have different narrators....more
These books are perfect for the car because I don't have to deeply pay attention to them - haha! It's sort of annoying the problems that the mainThese books are perfect for the car because I don't have to deeply pay attention to them - haha! It's sort of annoying the problems that the main character worries about. Like, in this book she's obsessing about all her wedding details - a very bourgeois type of problem, which I don't really care about or relate to. Still, Becky is a big-hearted, bumbling character, and I can't help but care at least a little bit about what happens to her. Plus, I love that she's British - I love listening to British women narrate books. It's total ear candy. Come to think of it, that may be a big reason why I keep coming back to the audio versions of these books. ...more
This book has the curious distinction of having a main character and writing style that I really liked, but a plot that I thought was really poorlyThis book has the curious distinction of having a main character and writing style that I really liked, but a plot that I thought was really poorly developed. At any rate, I've wanted to read this book for years - ever since I saw a copy in a bookstore in Manassas - so I'm glad to be able to cross it off my to-read list. It also inspired me to seek out other fiction titles with librarians as main characters...yes, I am that dorky!...more
June Nealon had the perfect family: A loving husband, a beautiful daughter, and another child on the way. All of this changes in an instant when ShayJune Nealon had the perfect family: A loving husband, a beautiful daughter, and another child on the way. All of this changes in an instant when Shay Bourne, the family's handyman, kills both June's husband and daughter. At the ensuing trial, Shay is convicted and sentenced to death. During his time in prison, though, strange things start to happen: Wine flows from the prisoners' faucets; an AIDS patient is seemingly cured of his illness; and a dead baby bird is brought back to life. This raises the question: Is Shay more than he appears to be? To add further intrigue to this strange series of events, Shay insists that, once he is executed, he wants to donate his heart Claire Nealon, the daughter that was in utero at the time of the murders. Only twelve years old, Claire has a heart defect that will kill her unless she receives a transplant. Is this selfless move on Shay's part a sign that he is, in fact, messianic? Or is he just trying (futilely, according to June Nealon) to make amends for the lives that he took?
Very interesting premise, if at times a bit outrageous and convoluted. In spite of the plot's failings, I certainly wanted to keep reading to find out what happened. Raising the question of whether or not Shay was the Messiah was a great hook - you just had to find out if there was something holy about him, or if he was just a regular guy who happened to be at the center of a bunch of crazy coincidences. That said, you would think that there would be a clear-cut answer to this question at the end of the book, but there's not. The reader leaves with the impression that Shay was very much human, but there was also something magical about him, too. I liked that the ending fell into a gray area, because what in life is black and white? The only other major criticism that I had about this one was that the structure seemed a bit formulaic. This is the second Picoult novel that I've read, and it followed the exact same multiple narrator format. Overall, though, I thought it was a really interesting story (with a really stunning twist) told with solid writing. Definitely head and shoulders above most popular fiction, but I would recommend My Sister's Keeper over this one....more
I liked this book better about halfway through, when Ave and Etta go to Italy. I thought that at this point the descriptions really came alive. TheI liked this book better about halfway through, when Ave and Etta go to Italy. I thought that at this point the descriptions really came alive. The descriptive passages about people and places are what I enjoyed most about this book - they're not dazzling, but enough to spark the theater of the mind. I also appreciated how much the main character thinks through the situation with her marriage. Sometimes I make decisions or do something and then wonder what the heck I was thinking, so it's good for me to read about characters who really think things through. Not that Ave always makes the best decisions, but it's that thought process that I'm more interested in. I didn't like a lot of the traditional views about marriage and gender roles, but it didn't get my feminist dander up enough to stop me from finishing the book. Comparable reads: The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd...more